The Swan

The Swan is said to sing but once in its life — when it
knows that it is about to die. A certain man, who had heard of the
song of the Swan, one day saw one of these birds for sale in the
market, and bought it and took it home with him. A few days later
he had some friends to dinner, and produced the Swan, and bade it
sing for their entertainment: but the Swan remained silent. In
course of time, when it was growing old, it became aware of its
approaching end and broke into a sweet, sad song. When its owner
heard it, he said angrily, "If the creature only sings when it is
about to die, what a fool I was that day I wanted to hear its song!
I ought to have wrung its neck instead of merely inviting it to
sing."